That Should Be Me
by Liv Cassidy
Summary: "It's not fair," Savannah thought, "that should be me." There's no feeling worse in the world than knowing the one you love is in love with someone else, especially when that someone else is your best friend.


That Should Be Me

From across the hallway, Savannah watched his hand run through her best friend's long, blonde hair. She swallowed hard and fought back a tear before approaching the couple. They locked lips just as Savannah had begun walking toward them.

_It's not fair, _Savannah thought_, that should be me. _She closed her eyes for a moment and imagined what it would feel like to have his lips touch hers. Savannah imagined that they were soft and warm. The feeling she imagined was so amazing, it was indescribable. Her stomach tingled as she fantasized.

But it just couldn't be. Aaron Brewer was in love with Emma Petrowski. Savannah Kinkirk was nothing more than his close friend whom he'd known his entire life. Of course, he'd known Emma for just as long. The three had all grown up together. The three teens had shared a playpen together as toddlers. That's how far back their friendship went.

Savannah's heart ached as she saw his cocoa brown eyes aim toward her.

"Hey, Savannah!" he grinned, taking a few steps toward her. He gave her a hug, which he always did when greeting his close friends. The fumes from his cologne lingered inside her nose, which caused her body to encompass a warm, tingling sensation for just a moment. "How was your math test?"

"It was all right," Savannah lied slightly. Since Emma and Aaron had begun dating, Savannah hadn't been able to focus on anything. Studying had become impossible, and she could feel her grades suffering. Back when they were all single, everything had been fine. Although Savannah was too shy to admit her feelings to Aaron, she didn't have to worry then; because he wasn't with anyone, either. She had always figured that she had all the time in the world, that someday—when the time was right—she would tell him.

But that day had never come, and now it was too late. It didn't matter. Her feelings meant nothing. And the worst part of it all? He was in love with her best friend! Savannah figured she might have thought at some point that if she didn't speak up sooner or later, Aaron would date somebody else. She had never in a million years imagined it would be her best friend. Nonetheless, she thought, it wouldn't be much better even if he was dating a complete stranger.

At least if he were dating a complete stranger, she would still have Emma. Sometimes Savannah wondered if Emma knew about Savannah's feelings for Aaron. She had never directly come out and told her. Surely, if Emma had known how Savannah felt about Aaron, she wouldn't have gone out with him, would she have? Emma wasn't that kind of friend, or was she?

Savannah tried to recall the last sixteen years of her life. How had this happened right under her nose? Why hadn't she seen it coming? Truth be told, until she saw Emma's relationship status change online, Savannah would never have pictured Emma and Aaron together. As far as she had known, Aaron hadn't treated Savannah and Emma any differently.

But now that she looked back, Emma and Aaron had been spending more time together alone. Savannah hadn't thought anything of it at the time, simply because she and Aaron would hang out without Emma, too. Now she realized, he had been expressing more interest in Emma, and he looked at her in ways he'd never look at Savannah.

Needless to say, Savannah was crushed, and Cheyenne—her younger sister—was the only one in the world who knew how heartbroken Savannah truly was. There wasn't a secret Savannah kept from Cheye.

She hadn't even told Charlie, her cousin who she spoke to daily despite the three thousand miles that separated them. Though, somehow, she had a feeling that Charlie knew. Charlie had a way of knowing things and not telling her that he knew.

Looking at Emma had become painful. Emma, who was the baby sister of Savannah's youngest aunt's ex-boyfriend, had vowed along with Savannah and Aaron to remain a virgin until marriage. Until Emma and Aaron had begun dating, none of them had dated anyone.

Savannah would imagine Aaron and Emma alone, lying together. She would wonder if Aaron and Emma had kept their promise so far. She wasn't going to be the one to ask, either. It wasn't Savannah's business, but she couldn't help to wonder. They were her friends, after all.

Aaron's hand was on Emma's shoulder, then he appeared to notice Savannah's gaze and placed his hand on Savannah's shoulder too. "So, what do you ladies want to do this afternoon?" he asked, smiling.

Savannah and Emma both shrugged.

"You don't have practice today, Aaron?" Savannah inquired. Like his father before him, Aaron was an all-state baseball player for Kennedy's baseball team. He'd lead the school to state last year, his sophomore year. He was determined to do the same this year.

"Nope," he said. "The coach is sick, so I have the night free. Also, I don't have any homework! That's a first."

Savannah's burning heart raced. She wanted nothing more than to hang out with Aaron, but the thought of watching him all over Emma just ruined everything. And there wasn't anything she could do about it, other than choose not to watch. That was out of the question, because she knew that would mean giving Aaron and Emma up all together, and losing her two best friends just wasn't an option. She didn't know what she'd do with her life without Aaron and Emma!

* * *

A/N – Yes, I'm still alive. I'm sorry for the cheesy "Bieber" title, but it fits so well. I wrote this quite some time ago, October 2011. I don't know if I'll continue or if it will just be a one-shot, but this story is based on a true story. (I've been dealing with something quite similar for the last two years.)


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